Cato was bred by George Bowes of
Gibside Park, near Newcastle, from a mare bred by Mr J Crofts. Nothing
further is known of his pedigree. Said to be the best of his year, he
was described as a horse of size, strength, speed and bottom. He was
subsequently owned by Lord Onslow, Charles Watson-Wentworth
(1730-1782), the 2nd Marquess of Rockingham, and His Royal
Highness (1721-1765), the Duke of Cumberland. Cato covered at Newmarket,
Cambridgeshire, in the hands of Josiah Marshall from 1763 to
1768. He left no stock that bred on.

Pedigree

Cato

Regulus

Godolphin Arabian

Grey Robinson

Bald Galloway

Sister to Old
Country Wench

Partner Mare

Croft's Partner

Jigg

Sister to Mixbury

Race
Record

In July of 1752 he placed second
to Mr R Smith's Skim (gr c 1748 Old Traveller), while beating two others,
for a purse of £50 at Durham. All carried 9 stone for four miles. In
September at Doncaster he won 50 guineas, defeating Mr Ann's bay colt
Spartan (Cade) and eight others, all carrying 9
stone in two-mile heats.

At Newcastle in June of 1753 he
won the King's Plate, beating Skim (who had won the second heat), Mr W
Fenwick's Duchess (b f 1748 Whitenose) and
two others, 10 stone each in three-mile heats. Duchess was withdrawn
after a battle with Cato in the first heat. Since this was the first
King's Plate offered at Newcastle it drew an estimated crowd of nearly
50,000 spectators. The 100 guineas Plate, intended "for the use of
the Corporation," was presented to the mayor of Newcastle by Mr
Bowes. In August at York, Cato won a 100 guineas subscription purse,
beating Captain Vernon's Amelia (b f 1748 Godolphin
Arabian) and the Duke of Cleveland's Honest John (ch c 1747
Forester) in both four-mile heats, all carrying 8 stone 7 pounds.

In 1754, as the property of Lord
Onslow, Cato walked-over for the King's Plate at Guildford in June. In
July at Salisbury he won the King's Plate, beating Captain Scott's
Blameless, who had previously been the Duke of Cleveland's Honest John,
and who had won the first heat, lost the second heat and went lame in
the third heat. Each carried 12 stone in four-mile heats. Still in July
he won the King's Plate at Canterbury, beating Sir J Moore's Merlin
(b c 1748 Second), the latter having gone lame in the first heat. Cato
then walked-over for the King's Plate at Winchester. In August at Lewes
he won the King's Plate, beating Lord Portmore's bay colt General and one
other. In October he lost the King's Plate at Newmarket to Mr Fenwick's
Duchess, who won both heats, and two others. Duchess had won several
King's Plates this year. Cato was now purchased by the Marquis of
Rockingham.

Cato started twice in 1755. In
April at Newmarket he lost a 200 guineas match to Lord Gower's Little
David (b c 1747 Gower Stallion), giving Little David five pounds over
the Beacon Course. In May at Ascot he won £50, beating Mr A Lamego's
Little
Driver (ch c 1743 Beaver's Driver), Mr Meredith's Shock (br c
Shock) and the Duke of Cumberland's
Crab (gr c 1744 Old Crab) in four four-mile
heats. Shock won the first heat, Driver won the second heat and Cato the
last two, all being "severely contested".

In April of 1756 he won £50 at
Newmarket, beating the Duke of Devonshire's Tantivy (b c
Sedbury),
who won the first four-mile heat, and two others, all carrying 9 stone.
In May at Newmarket he won a 200 guineas match against Lord Gower's
Ginger (d c 1759 Shock) over the Beacon Course, Cato carrying 9 stone 7
pounds, and Ginger carrying 8 stone 12 pounds. In October, still at
Newmarket, he lost a 200 guineas match to Lord Gower's Sweepstakes (b c
1749 Gower Stallion), with Sweepstakes conceding ten pounds to Cato. He
then beat His Royal Highness, the Duke of
Cumberland's
Crab in a 200 guineas match, giving Crab 6 pounds over four miles.
The Duke of Cumberland then purchased Cato.

Cato
did not start in either 1757 or 1758.

In April of 1759 he lost his first outing, a purse of 50
sovereigns to Mr Gorge's Juniper (b c 1752 Babraham),
each carrying 9 stone for four miles. The following week he won a 500
guineas match against Lord Gower's Invalid (b c 1753 Gower Stallion),
giving Invalid 5 pounds over the Beacon Course.

He started only once in 1760,
winning a 200 guineas match against Lord Oxford's Pickle (b c 1751
Babraham),
while conceding 4 pounds over four miles.

In March of 1761 at Newmarket he
won a 500 guineas four-mile match against Lord March's Gaul'em (gr c
Bolton Starling). In September, still at Newmarket, he lost a 500
guineas match to Lord March's Creampot (d c 1755 Buffcoat), giving
Creampot 14 pounds over four miles. Cato was now thirteen years old and
Creampot only six. In October he won a 1000 guineas match against Mr
Jenison Shafto's Alcides (b c 1753 Babraham),
giving Alcides seven pounds over four miles. In November he lost a 1000
guineas match to Lord March's three year old filly (b f
Portmore's
Skim), the latter said to be carrying a feather. Cato was now
retired from the turf.